Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41853890›Full record

ArticleThe FEBS journal2026

Single-cell atlas of B cell heterogeneity in lacrimal IgG4-related disorders: Unraveling the transition from inflammatory exhaustion to clonal malignancy.

Rui Liu, Tingting Ren, Liangyuan Xu, Nan Wang, Yufei Zhang, Haihan Yan, Taiyao Wang, Runzi Yang, Jianmin Ma, Jing Li

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In one paragraph

Article in The FEBS journal, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Rui LiuBeijing Institute of Ophthalmology, Beijing Tongren Eye Center, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1826-5686
Tingting RenBeijing Institute of Ophthalmology, Beijing Tongren Eye Center, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
Liangyuan XuBeijing Institute of Ophthalmology, Beijing Tongren Eye Center, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
Nan WangBeijing Institute of Ophthalmology, Beijing Tongren Eye Center, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
Yufei ZhangBeijing Institute of Ophthalmology, Beijing Tongren Eye Center, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
Haihan YanBeijing Institute of Ophthalmology, Beijing Tongren Eye Center, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
Taiyao WangBeijing Institute of Ophthalmology, Beijing Tongren Eye Center, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
Runzi YangBeijing Institute of Ophthalmology, Beijing Tongren Eye Center, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
Jianmin MaBeijing Institute of Ophthalmology, Beijing Tongren Eye Center, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8667-8645
Jing LiBeijing Institute of Ophthalmology, Beijing Tongren Eye Center, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0000-2405-3367

Funding

Beijing Hospitals Authority Clinical Medicine Development of Special Funding Support ZLRK202503Internal Seed Grant for Young Reserve Talents from Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University 2024-YJJ-ZZL-021National Key R&D Program of China 2023YFC2410203
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

This study analyzed B-cell heterogeneity in lacrimal gland tissues from 4 patients with IgG4-related ophthalmic disease (IgG4-ROD) and 2 patients with IgG4-positive MALT lymphoma using single-cell transcriptome sequencing (scRNA-seq). The results revealed that while the B-cell differentiation trajectories have similarities between the two diseases, critical differences were evident. IgG4-ROD was predominantly composed of naïve B cells, with memory B cells mainly being the central memory type. These cells were enriched in hormone/innate immunity pathways, and the plasma cells exhibited features of functional exhaustion. Conversely, MALT lymphoma was dominated by memory B cells, particularly enriched in terminally differentiated subtypes, with aberrant activation of oncogenic pathways (BCR/NF-κB). In MALT lymphoma, naïve B cells showed upregulated expression of immunoglobulin genes (IGHG3/IGHG4) and abnormal activation of EBV/BCR/T-cell differentiation pathways, despite having suppressed basal metabolism. Germinal center-like B cells in MALT lymphoma revealed upregulated gene expression enriched in T-cell activation and PD-1/PD-L1 pathways. Plasma cells in MALT lymphoma displayed monoclonal expansion (high expression of IGHG2/IGHG3/IGHG4) and enhanced antibody secretion. Therefore, MALT lymphoma is characterized by abnormal activation and malignant transformation of B cells, whereas IgG4-ROD manifests as functional exhaustion and metabolic suppression. The differentiation state of memory B cells may represent a critical juncture for malignant transformation.

Indexed as

B-LymphocytesImmunoglobulin GImmunoglobulin G4-Related DiseaseLacrimal ApparatusLymphoma, B-Cell, Marginal ZoneCell DifferentiationHumansPlasma CellsSingle-Cell AnalysisSingle-Cell Gene Expression AnalysisTranscriptomeImmunoglobulin GB‐cell heterogeneityIgG4‐related ophthalmic diseaseImmune microenvironmentmucosa‐associated lymphoid tissue lymphomasingle‐cell transcriptome sequencing

Identifiers

PMID41853890
PMCPMC13489529

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.